Re-upped Round Up March 30 Judicial Accountability Bill passed SC to get two new judges and more

The much-debated Judicial Standards and Accountability Bill, 2010 has been passed by the Lok Sabha, the Supreme Court is to see two new judges, Swiss pharma major Novartis’s will have to wait a bit longer and Uninor finds itself in a peculiar predicament.. Judicial Accountability Bill passed in Lok Sabha. [Deccan Herald] The much-debated Judicial Standards and Accountability Bill, 2010 was passed by the Lok Sabha on Thursday, March 29, 2012. The bill creates a mechanism to inquire into complaints made against both High Court and Supreme Court judges. Law Minister Khurshid clarified that the bill aims to strike a balance between judicial independence and judicial accountability..[You can read PRS’s analysis of the Bill here]. Supreme Court to get 2 new judges; CJ’s of Kashmir and P&H to join apex court soon.[The Hindu] There shall be two additions to the SC in the coming weeks with Justice Ranjan Gogoi (current CJ of Punjab & Haryana) and Justice F.M. Ibrahim Kalifulla (current CJ of Kashmir). Gogoi, who has been recommended by the SC collegium, started out as a judge in the Gauhati High Court in 2001 before being appointed as Chief Justice of Punjab & Haryana High Court on February 2012..Meanwhile Kalifulla, whose appointment has already received Presidential approval, hails from Tamil Nadu and was recently appointed as Chief Justice of the Jammu & Kashmir High Court in September 2011..Novartis’s wait before the SC continues; Hearing postponed to July 2012.[Pharma Biz] reports that the final arguments in this critical case shall be heard on July 10, 2012. The final verdict in the Swiss pharma’s battle shall have major repercussions on the production of low-cost generic drugs in the country..Uninor sees subscription base soar even as it faces the possibility of an India exit.[Business Standard] Interesting column on the peculiar situation the Indian telecom company finds itself in: cancelled licences with an increase in consumer base.